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In recognition of pregnancy centers

To those of you who work or volunteer at pregnancy centers, thank you!

Photo credit: kton25 on Flickr

All across the United States, countless individuals volunteer their time, work long hours on staff, and donate their money in support of pregnancy centers. They don’t do it to get praise or recognition. However, earlier this month, the South Carolina legislature passed a concurrent resolution recognizing the pregnancy centers in South Carolina and throughout the whole country, and also thanking them for the work that they do.

I was going to share just parts of the resolution, but I couldn’t pick what parts to cut out. The resolution is a beautiful piece that discusses the many aspects of work done at pregnancy centers.

Whereas, the life-affirming impact of pregnancy resource centers on women, families, and the communities they serve is considerable and growing, and pregnancy resource centers serve with integrity and compassion; and

Whereas, more than two thousand five hundred pregnancy centers across the United States provide individualized care to women and men facing unplanned pregnancies, including resources to meet their physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs; and

Whereas, pregnancy care centers encourage women to make positive life choices by equipping them with complete and accurate information regarding their pregnancy options, including adoption information and referrals and the development of their unborn children; and

Whereas, pregnancy care centers provide women with compassionate and confidential peer counseling in a nonjudgmental manner regardless of their pregnancy outcomes, as well as provide abstinence education, domestic violence information, and relationship counseling; and

Whereas, pregnancy care centers provide important support and resources for women who choose childbirth over abortion; and

Whereas, pregnancy care centers ensure that women are receiving prenatal information and services that lead to the birth of healthy infants; and

Whereas, many pregnancy care centers provide limited obstetrical ultrasound to confirm pregnancy and enable women to visualize the baby in utero; and

Whereas, many pregnancy care centers work to prevent unplanned pregnancies by teaching effective abstinence education in public schools; and

Whereas, pregnancy care centers operate primarily through reliance on the voluntary donations and time of caring individuals who are committed to caring for the needs of women and promoting and protecting life, receiving no government funding or insurance funding; and

Whereas, many pregnancy care centers provide grief assistance for women who regret the loss of a child from past choices they made or the circumstances they were placed in; and

Whereas, many pregnancy centers provide training to parents to guide their teens to healthy decision making about sexual health. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

That the General Assembly recognizes the many contributions made by pregnancy care centers and strongly supports pregnancy care centers in their unique, positive contributions to the individual lives of women, men, and babies, both born and unborn; and

That the General Assembly commends the compassionate work of thousands of volunteers and paid staff at pregnancy care centers in South Carolina and across the United States; and

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, the Governor of South Carolina, and each member of the South Carolina congressional delegation.

To those of you who work or volunteer at pregnancy centers, thank you!